Genealogy, local history and historical research in New England and other interesting places. Nutfield was the former land grant ................................. that is now the towns of Londonderry, Derry and Windham, New Hampshire.

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Discoveries from RootsTech 2013

The speaker's bag (yellow) and the regular
conference goer bag on the right (blue)

1. I discovered that every conference goer receives one of these cool
RootsTech bags. But I also learned to pack light since it's a
long day and all the goodies you collect at the Expo will magically and
exponentially weigh more by about 5pm.

2. I learned some new vocabulary, and my favorite new word is “Geneajaunt”-
from Australian genealogist Jill Ball.

3. And I learned even more new vocabulary, like “Flying monkeys”- a collective
term for all of Thomas MacEntee’s bloggers and followers. Another “new to me” moment.

4. I saw David Pogue live on stage and learned that he is much more than just a
geeky technology writer (he is also a pianist, composer, comic as seen in this
video of his keynote address at www.rootstech.org
on Saturday, March 23rd at 8:30am
)

ZUCA rolling bag

5. I discovered the wonderful ZÜCA bag while waiting in line for a session to start. The woman who owned it raved about it, and showed me all the features. It is the ultimate gadget for genealogists
at http://www.zuca.com/ This expensive rolling travel bag also comes
in a carry-on size, too (but it’s even more expensive). It is very light (aluminum) and has a built
in seat for waiting in those long lines, or to support a second load piled on
top. This bag is perfect for the long
walks in Salt Lake City between your hotel, the Family History Library and the
convention center, or to carry all your stuff during the day. I saw two people using this bag at
RootsTech. Beware - It costs as much as a new
mobile device! But it is super cool. These are the things you
learn while waiting in lines…

6. I learned that there are battery phone cases and capacitor chargers to
extend the life of your mobile devices at conferences, in the FHL, on the plane
with a capacitor that stores energy for hours, or a super capacitor that stores
enough energy for days at a time. The
battery mobile phone cases double the life of your regular phone battery and
the capacitor chargers (also called external battery chargers) can be used on
your laptop or tablet. Thank you to
Jill Ball from Australia and Marie Doughan from Scotland for introducing these
to me. They used them on those long
airplane trips to RootsTech.

7. I also learned about the value of Blogger beads- You must
wear them everywhere- to the FHL, to restaurants, around town to spark
conversation (speak up at the first raised eyebrow) and be prepared with a ten
second "elevator" speech and business cards with your URL. These
beads are not just a fun accessory; they are a powerful media tool. The blogger bead subtle advertising is so
successful that I am going to supply beads at NERGC 2013 in Manchester.

8. Be prepared to hug in the oddest places. Suddenly a complete stranger will
come up to you in the restroom, or the elevator, or when you have your mouth
full at breakfast and introduce themselves as a blog fan, Twitter follower, or
Facebook friend.

10. I learned that even when you fly across country to a national convention,
there will always be a New England Yankee, or someone who lived briefly in your
state, or someone with New England roots sitting right next to you at a
session, or at the same table at the luncheons. This happened to me at all
three luncheons, every session and even at the keynotes. Even at the FHL
because it was busy and every table was full. A gentleman sitting right next to
me at the NGS luncheon lived on Alexander Road, Londonderry, NH in the
1980s! Strangers from New England
introduced themselves even on the street waiting to cross at the lights because
apparently I have some sort of accent when I pronounce the word “car”…

11. Another important lesson- If you want to enjoy an adult
beverage, be prepared to walk away from Temple Square to other hotels and
restaurants. It is still possible to enjoy a lovely evening at the Roof with
Pellegrino as the only bubbly in your glass.

12. I discovered the joy of belonging to the Geneabloggers
community! Many, many times my fellow Geneabloggers
have helped me solve technical problems on my blog, or helped me stop
sploggers, or even gently suggested edits and corrections. I've also made cousin connections with dozens
of Geneabloggers, and shared lineage information. We find time to share meals, cheer each other
on before presentations, and support the newbies.

At RootsTech I found time, even with a busy schedule, to
return the Geneablogger karma. I filled
in on a panel that needed an additional genealogist, I found information at the
FHL for someone who commented on Dear Myrtle’s HOA video show, and I was able
to steer several other bloggers towards good resources for New England research
at the Family History Library. What goes
around comes around. And it’s fun, too!

14 comments:

Great list - I too am thinking about buying something to fix my low battery problem, although like the gadget panel, I feel that's something that needs doing by the industry, not us. And it was amazing how many people told me they had lived in Washington State, so close to my home in Canada, or, of course, been to Vancouver, BC for a cruise or other visit. But the hugs were the best!

Thanks Heather for a great blog post. I couldn't have survived without my New Trent high capacity "powerpak" for my iPhone and iPad (the same one that Marie Dougan also bought). I also found that everyone I started chatting to (even in the queue for the ladies' bathroom!) had London (England) roots. Strange coincidences indeed!

Looks like you had great fun at RootsTech. The rolling bag is great. There are so many wonderful gadgets out there to make life easier for researchers. The down side is that so many research places won't let you in with them (except maybe a laptop and camera). Wouldn't it be great if we made enough noise that they loosened up a bit and stopped treating research facilities like high security prisons?

I agree, Jan, but I was at NARA in Washington just after a famous historian stole some valuable documents. We were all treated like terrorists and photographed, interviewed, tested, scanned, and the serial numbers of all our cameras and phones were written down. I hope other repositories don't follow suit. It took an hour just to get in and get to work!

Someday when my kids are older, I'll get to join in all the fun. And I guess I don't mind being called a "Flying Monkey" as I was born during the Chinese year of the Monkey. I've been called a monkey all my life although when I was younger it was because I liked to climb trees. LOL

Oh Heather, I love youre discoveries, and I do absolutely agree with No's. 7, 8, 9, & 12 (and sorry for catching you as you were crossing the road, and me having my own gushing moment then) ... but you do have to grab the opportunities as they arise. ;-)

And thankyou for explaining what the difference in the two different coloured bags were, I was wondering that. So question answered!

Make sure you and Becky sell those Zuca bags, I really want one. The backpack by FamilySearch with the rolling wheels was also pretty cool, and almost as expensive. If something said "Genealogy" or "GeneaBloggers" I'm sure you'd sell lots! LOL!

What a fabulous insight into the "behind the scenes" of RootsTech for those of us who haven't been (yet?!) I didn't know about capacitors either so a must-add to my own gadget bag. And I can quite understand the gushing moments :-)

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Author of the Nutfield Genealogy blog and occasional genealogy speaker. My family research includes Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, with a smattering of Nova Scotia. Please contact me if you see your ancestors on this blog. I would love to share information. I am the former secretary of the New Hampshire Mayflower Society, former President of the Londonderry Historical Society, member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Mass. Society of Genealogists, The National Genealogical Society, and the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists.